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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26651542">hidden in plain view</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharknana29/pseuds/quarks%20bar'>quarks bar (sharknana29)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek: Voyager</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Mutual Pining, author is far too pleased with fake dating tropes, maybe technically knight/princess trope</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:08:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,910</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26651542</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharknana29/pseuds/quarks%20bar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Do you have transporter lock, Harry?”</p><p>The ensign on the viewscreen nodded for the fourth time. Captain Janeway had been growing restless, despite Seven and B’Elanna only having been planet-side for all of 15 minutes. The Ralorans that had given them this mission wanted her to spend the first hour on their bridge before returning to her own ship, and their near-constant pacing was less than comforting. </p><p>A minute or so later, the female Raloran spoke up. “We may have forgotten to tell you something.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Minor or Background Relationship(s), Seven of Nine/B'Elanna Torres</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>hidden in plain view</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Often, the Delta Quadrant required trades. Most times, they were easy fixes. For some stun bolts, Voyager could get anything from plasma coils to warp conduits to a new holo-program that was close enough to compatible to work with their systems. But occasionally, the trade required a service: repair some transporters, upgrade a shield system. Pose as high-level government officials from an alien planet to gain intel on another in the system.</p><p>They <em> desperately </em> needed those plasma coils. </p><p> </p><p>“I do not see why you could not be official and I, the attending guard.” Seven looked entirely out of place in a flowy silver floor-length dress and her hair free from its French twist. Her implants, as well as B’Elanna’s forehead, had been hidden, their faces modified to match the Raloran’s features. B’Elanna herself wore a loose fighter’s uniform in a similar color to Seven’s executive robes, with the addition of a Raloran phaser and holster. </p><p>“I’m a Klingon-”</p><p>“Half-Klingon.”</p><p>“-and you have the stuck up manners of a politician. I don’t.”</p><p>She considered this and seemed to agree with her, but was clearly still uncomfortable in the inefficient costume. After a moment, she pinned back the front portion of her hair in an effort to assume the slightest bit of control. </p><p>Seven turned to the Raloran at the console. “We are ready to proceed.”</p><p> </p><p>The pair beamed down from the alien ship into a cavernous white space with large openings that led off to other wings of the building. Based on what little they could see beyond this chamber, Seven and B’Elanna could tell that the rest of the architecture would be much of the same. </p><p>There were three people waiting for them, each wearing a black cape and dark robes. The shortest, who stood before the others, spoke first. “Welcome. Chancellor Anise and…?”</p><p>When choosing the names for their roles, Tom and Harry had wanted to go with characters from a holo-program, which even the Doctor had been hesitant about. Seven’s had been a relatively simple name to find, though B’Elanna’s was very much the opposite in this respect. But after much back and forth deliberation, the senior officers had eventually landed on “Lana.”</p><p>The Head Engineer’s usual sharp tone was uncharacteristic for the planet they were claiming to be from, and as such it drew a strange glance from the robed figure on the left. </p><p>“Ah! Lana, Anise, welcome. We are here to escort yourself and the Chancellor to your quarters. If you would follow us?”</p><p>The three led them down a blindingly white corridor, contrasted only by the black robes and occasional window revealing lush blue landscaping. There were many turns, all of which B’Elanna tried to keep track of, but after the tenth, the order had begun to fade. </p><p>Despite the building unease of their situation, Seven was able to maintain her composure and walk confident-as-ever towards whatever was waiting for them at the end of this maze. </p><p> </p><p>“Do you have transporter lock, Harry?”</p><p>The ensign on the viewscreen nodded for the fourth time. Captain Janeway had been growing restless, despite Seven and B’Elanna only having been planet-side for all of 15 minutes. The Ralorans that had given them this mission wanted her to spend the first hour on their bridge before returning to her own ship, and their near-constant pacing was less than comforting. </p><p>A minute or so later, the female Raloran spoke up. “We may have forgotten to tell you something.”</p><p> </p><p>B’Elanna stared at the room, trying to hide her shock. Seven had done little more than tense slightly in reaction to what she was seeing. The suite’s rooms were large, opulent, yes. But when shown the bedroom, there was a clear message being sent. </p><p> </p><p>“Typically our leader’s guards are their partners. All the governments in our system are organized this way.”</p><p>“And how did that <em> little detail </em> slip your mind?” On the viewscreen in the conference room, Chakotay looked less than pleased.</p><p>“We apologize, Commander. It is difficult to recall that information that is so familiar to us is strange for you.”</p><p>Janeway had quietly nursed a cup of something like coffee at the head of the table during this exchange. “The moment they’re alone, we contact them. There’s clearly going to be a change of plans.”</p><p> </p><p>The cloaked escorts had excused themselves shortly after explaining the day’s schedule. It was soon after that Voyager hailed the pair for the first time. </p><p>“Voyager to Away Team.”</p><p>“We are here, Captain.” </p><p>“There’s some new information that we need to discuss.”</p><p>“Yes. B’Elanna and I assumed so.”</p><p>“They think you’re partners. It would be out of the ordinary for you not to be, and the Rolarans need you to stay under the radar. Make sure they don’t start to get suspicious. Keep us updated. Voyager out.”</p><p>Seven quietly relayed the information to B’Elanna, after which there was a pause. </p><p>“I do not requi-”</p><p>“You can us-” Both began to speak at the same time. </p><p>Seven, with a quirked eyebrow, continued. “It appears neither of us will be using the bed while we are here.”</p><p>B’Elanna ran a harried hand through her hair. “If you don’t need to sleep, I might as well use it. Or we can take turns. They left a <em> lot </em> of open space on that time-table.” </p><p>“You may use the bed if needed. I do not believe we will be here long enough to use it.” At this B’Elanna let out a sigh of relief. </p><p>The blonde woman walked out of the bedroom, presumably to see what she could access from the small terminal they had seen in the main room, which seemed to be for some sort of room service. B’Elanna busied herself by searching the bedroom for listening bugs or video feeds that might have been hidden to find out military secrets. </p><p>In the other room, Seven had accessed the small number of meals offered, as well as an opening to other systems, none of which were particularly helpful. “Lana,” she called, before a beat later adding, “<em> dear</em>, would you come here?” </p><p>Despite still adjusting to her cover name, she came quickly enough after hearing the bizarre sound of a pet name coming from Seven. “Yes?”</p><p>“Come order something for breakfast.” Seven pointedly didn’t move away from the console as B’Elanna approached. “See if you can find a way to get into their main systems. If you can do that, this will go much quicker than expected.”</p><p>B’Elanna flushed pink as Seven whispered gently into her ear, nodding quickly and setting to work immediately. “Hmm, the fruit platter looks good, doesn’t it, honey?”</p><p>“Indeed.” </p><p>Following Seven’s less than helpful response, B’Elanna turned to face her, putting her weight on the console. She leaned forward, murmuring an answer. “I’ll have an answer for you in 10 minutes. Distract them in the meantime.”</p><p>Seven nodded, then moved into another room to presumably cause said distraction. Moments later B’Elanna could hear a thud, followed by Seven crying out in pain. Her heart clenched at the sound. She raced towards Seven, completely abandoning the console. The blonde emerged from the other room, blood leaking from a cut on her temple. </p><p>“<em>QeylIS</em>,” she hissed. “Seven, what the fuck did you just do?”</p><p>Her usual not-quite-blank stare settled on B’Elanna. “You wanted a timely distraction. I provided one.”</p><p>“One that got their attention on you, not one that might blow our cover!” She took a deep breath in an attempt to reign in her Klingon temper. “Come on, let's patch you up before the meeting.”</p><p> </p><p>There was a small first-aid kit in the suite’s bathroom, holding basic medical supplies. <em> Very </em> basic. </p><p>“How did you even do this, Seven?” During the search for a medical kit they had scoured the entire bathroom, which was clear of any sort of bug. They could speak freely there. </p><p>“There was a desk in the bedroom. I fell onto the corner of it.” She winced slightly as B’Elanna wiped a towel across the cut. And promptly noticed just how close her “guard” was. It became very difficult to maintain eye contact for reasons unknown. </p><p>B’Elanna hummed in acknowledgment, twisting to reach the butterfly bandages in the kit. “You can keep this on until we go out, and then I’ll put some concealer over it. No one’ll know, and if anyone <em> does </em> see it, we can just say that we had some fun last night.” She leaned in, brows furrowed, to stick the bandage on. “That should do it.”</p><p>“Thank you, Lieutenant.” Seven rushed out, the dress she wore flaring out behind her. </p><p><em> When did I become her </em> actual <em> guard </em>, B’Elanna wondered from where she was crouched on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>The pair spent another hour alone in the suite, abandoning all efforts to get the information needed through the console. B’Elanna lounged sideways on the not-quite-comfortable couch, padd in hand, while Seven made herself scarce, searching the other rooms in the suite for listening devices. </p><p>She found herself reading the same line over and over, her neck growing sore from its position. Groaning, she rolled off of the sofa and went in search of Seven, to see if there was any way they could get out of this stuffy room before the meeting.</p><hr/><p>Walking through the gardens of the government building, B’Elanna could see why everyone she had seen wore such loose, light clothing. She could feel the humidity of the planet pressing down on her in a way it hadn’t indoors. </p><p>Seven took the heat in stride, as she did everything in life. The one thing she didn’t take in stride was the first question B’Elanna asked. </p><p>“So, what was our first date?”</p><p>She paused. “Our what?”</p><p>“You know, the beginning of our <em> courtship</em>.” At the term, B’Elanna pulled a face. “Any ideas?”</p><p>“I am not… <em> creative</em>. I do not believe I would be helpful coming up with false dates.”</p><p>The pair continued to walk down the path of flowers, brainstorming as they went. </p><p>“Oh! What if I was a mechanic before we met, and you met me through some sort of shuttle incident. That way I had an excuse to see you again and from there we got together.”</p><p>Seven nodded once in agreement. “Yes, I do not see your combat skills being so formidable that you would be a guard your whole life.”</p><p>B’Elanna stopped in front of her. “Run that by me again?”</p><p>“I merely stated that you are not as competent a fighter as you believe.”</p><p>She moved closer to Seven, trying her best to make her less than impressive height seem intimidating. “You want to see just how good a fighter I am?” </p><p>Seven opened her mouth to bite out a retort, only to be spoken over by an unknown voice. “There you are! We’ve been looking for you everywhere.” A woman wearing dark gray robes raced up behind the pair. “The meeting is starting in five minutes, we have to hurry.” </p><p> </p><p>She had spent the entire meeting standing behind Seven, trading bored looks with the guard next to her. The guard across from them had seemed very invested in the discussion, for whatever reason. Perhaps the planet he and his partner came from was important to the events. Many of the other diplomats had stayed quiet on the matter, giving Seven a chance to hide her lack of knowledge, something B’Elanna saw as a saving grace. They didn’t need people looking more carefully at them than they already were. </p><p>Seven, on the other hand, had been listening critically to the many sides of the issue and had landed on a solution that she thought would work for all. The only thing stopping her from speaking up were her direct orders to follow the Prime Directive at all times. <em> Do not interfere </em>, Captain Janeway had said. She intended to follow through, despite the fact that her mere presence was interference enough. </p><p>The conference dragged on for hours, to the point where even the most diligent guards had begun to shift their weight from foot to foot. When B’Elanna wasn’t daydreaming about the warp core and all the work that she would have to do when she got back to Voyager, she was counting down the minutes until the meeting was scheduled to adjourn. Even someone who wasn’t paying attention could tell that the talking heads at the table wouldn’t reach a solution any time soon. </p><p> </p><p>The meeting had finally ended, and the entire group was going to the large dining room at the center of the facility for a celebratory buffet, despite nothing being accomplished. Here, things would get tricky, Seven realized. Before, everyone had to act professionally, there was no time for small talk. But now, they could speak freely, ask questions. And as the newest of the bunch, B’Elanna and herself would likely be subject to many of them. </p><p>They were able to make their way to the buffet at their own pace, and despite B’Elanna’s similar dread of the conversations to come, she desperately needed to sit, even if just for a moment. The pair passed a window in one of the halls that had a particularly deep lip, which she took advantage of. B’Elanna held Seven back and gestured to the spot. The blonde looked on at the small stream of people leading the way to the dining room, worried that they would get lost. </p><p>“There were some behind us, we’re fine. I just need a minute. How the hell do you regenerate standing up for so long?”</p><p>“I have simply gotten used to it. Have you rested enough to continue?” Seven tossed another anxious glance over her shoulder. </p><p>Now that she had sat down, B’Elanna really didn’t want to stand up again, even for the relatively short walk to the “celebratory” dinner. “Don’t sit so far away,” she murmured. “We’re partners, remember?”</p><p>“My apologies.” Seven moved closer and looked past B’Elanna at the darkening garden path they had walked through earlier that day. “Do we have our stories straight?”</p><p>B’Elanna’s snicker was quickly silenced by the look Seven gave her. “I think we have the basics down. If anyone asks something that we haven’t talked about yet, you could… you could scratch my hand. That’ll get my attention so we don’t tell contradictory stories. I can do the same for you.”</p><p>Seven nodded. The pair stayed there for a moment, neither sure why. It was only when another couple passed that they remembered the dinner they needed to get to. </p><p> </p><p>The dining room was just as blindingly white as the rest of this strange government facility, from the table to the floors. B’Elanna wondered how they kept it clean, and if there was any way she could bring that technology back to Voyager. The amount of times she had tracked loose plasma from any number of devices in engineering across the ship were too many to count. </p><p>The guard she had stood next to throughout the conference waved them over to two seats near the far end of the table. Most people were clustered at the other end near the buffet, but B’Elanna moved quickly over to the open seats.<br/>“Just let the vultures fight over food for a while, things’ll calm down in a mo’,” the guard said. “Oh! Sorry, I forgot y’all were new. I’m Carri, this is Maritze.” She reached out to shake Seven’s hand.</p><p>The blonde took it, responding in turn. “Anise, and I believe you have already met Lana.”</p><p>“Nothin’ bonds ya’ like dying to the sound of politics.” Maritze made a half-insulted sound at that, to which Carri laughed. “But I love you enough that I’ll spend the rest of my life doin’ it if I have to.”</p><p>B’Elanna had sat down comfortably, the picture of calm. But on the inside, her mind was racing, filtering through all the information the Ralorans had shoved down her throat for some kind of conversation topic. Just enough to tide them over until they got food. </p><p>Seven, despite her protests, was for once the better conversationalist. “You are of the Blyso region, correct?” The senator lit up, talking about her home and the reform she enacted to make it the place she knew it could have been. </p><p>The conversation moving along, B’Elanna watched as the line over at the buffet table inched slowly across, nearly no progress made in ten minutes. Politicians could clearly only move at one speed. It was only when she felt Seven’s heel dig into her foot that she snapped her attention back to the conversation. </p><p>“How did you two meet?,” Maritze asked.</p><p>“She crashed her shuttle into mine.” </p><p>B’Elanna was barely able to mask the incredulous look she sent Seven’s way with a laugh. “Yeah, it gave her enough brain damage to fall in love with me.”</p><p> </p><p>Seven had been watching B’Elanna carefully, and it was for no clear reason that she was unable to tear her gaze away from the brunette.</p><p>And then she watched her laugh. Not for the first time during this mission, she had to remind the small voice in her head this was all an act. At least, it was for B’Elanna. The easy way she had melted into the role of a devoted partner after the plans had changed, how she had taken charge and saved their cover before it was even in danger. And here Seven was, growing accustomed to something that would never follow them back to Voyager. </p><p> </p><p>The line for the buffet had finally cleared up enough for B’Elanna to risk going up and leaving Seven on her own for a moment. “Here,” she nodded to the buffet. “What do you want?”</p><p>The blonde looked over at the tables and just told her to get a little of everything. B’Elanna got up to leave, and before letting her nerves get the best of her, pecked Seven on her right temple. She walked away normally despite every bone in her body screaming at her to race away, find somewhere to hide for long enough that the affectionate gesture could be forgotten. </p><p> </p><p><em> Is this what a hologram feels like when their program malfunctions </em>? </p><p>She saw the amused looks their dining companions were giving her and scrambled for an excuse. “We… aren’t typically this affectionate in public.”</p><p>Carri made a high-pitched sound similar to a snort. Maritze gently elbowed her in the stomach. “Sorry about her, we’re just used to turning a corner and accidentally walking in on a diplomat with their tongue down someone’s throat.” </p><p>“Yes,” Seven nodded slowly. “I do not believe you will ever find Lana and I like that.” The painful truth of the statement tore her apart inside. </p><p> </p><p>The rest of dinner had passed as uneventfully as could be expected. B’Elanna had brought back heaping plates, of which both women were unable to finish. She briefly wondered if there were recyclers that the leftovers would be put into, or if the food would just rot away. Servants in dark robes came in periodically to carry away plates as people left. Through the skylights in the room they could tell the sky had grown dark during their meal. Seven rose first, B’Elanna following close behind, taking the remains of their meal to the servant nearest the door. </p><p>B’Elanna was struggling to keep up with Seven’s pace, but that didn’t stop her from asking questions.</p><p>“Do you know where we’re going?” she hissed. “This place is worse than a maze.”</p><p>“We just need access to a terminal, it doesn’t matter where we are. Voyager will beam us out once we have the information the Ralorans need.”</p><p>“And if we <em> don’t </em> find the information? Then what?”</p><p>“If that is the case, I have been compiling a floor plan of the facility. There is no reason we should not be able to find our way back.” She turned quickly into an office and out of B’Elanna’s sight. </p><p>When the brunette found the room Seven was in (after sticking her head into more dark offices than she would care to admit), she set to work getting them into the main program. “This’ll take a few minutes, watch the door.”</p><p>Seven moved from where she stood looking over B’Elanna’s shoulder to a spot near the door. </p><p> </p><p>As the seconds passed and grew into minutes, Seven could hear more and more sounds of frustration coming from B’Elanna. That gave her apprehension enough, each one a reminder of their impossible task. But then she heard the sound of footsteps growing closer. </p><p> </p><p>B’Elanna felt herself get pulled into the kiss before she had any time to react. Seven’s hands were cold on her face, but she wasn’t sure if that was because of the heat rising to her cheeks or the other woman’s metal implants. She then realized she didn’t care either way, melting into the blonde’s lips. Her arms, which had initially stiffened, relaxed and snaked their way into Seven’s loose hair. </p><p> </p><p>Seven felt a rush as they deepened into each other, pulling themselves closer together. All her fears, of being discovered, of being rejected, had disappeared. </p><p>The plan was forgotten, for in that moment all Seven wanted to do was stay right where they were, the darkness of the office wrapping around them. </p><p> </p><p>B’Elanna was beginning to deepen the kiss, her tongue teasing open Seven’s lips, when she heard someone’s shoe scuffing a few feet away. They pulled apart in an instant, somehow managing to flush deeper. “I… let's get back to work.”</p><p> </p><p>The next day was torturous. Soon after the moment they shared in the office, B’Elanna had managed to get access to the information they needed and the pair was beamed out within the hour. The debriefing felt longer than the conference earlier that day, and the entire senior staff noticed that neither could look at the other. A night of sleep didn’t help matters in the slightest, not when B’Elanna couldn’t shut her brain off long enough to sleep and Seven woke from her regeneration cycle thinking only of the time they had spent together. </p><p>They were able to avoid each other for a majority of the day, only once passing each other in the halls. But near the end of their shifts, B’Elanna found herself in the turbolift on her way to a storage bay on Deck 12. The ‘lift doors opened, revealing the last person she wanted to see. </p><p>She watched Seven turn promptly in the direction of a Jefferies tube. “Wait.” Her voice felt overly loud in the silence of the empty hallway. Seven stopped, turning her head slightly. “Can we talk?”</p><p>She had extended the olive branch. Now all she could do was wait and see what happened. </p><p> </p><p>Seven turned slowly, closing the space between the two in a matter of steps. “About what?” </p><p>“The other night. We kissed. I just want to know: was it an act?” </p><p>She didn’t answer for a moment, trying to puzzle out her own feelings. “I did it to prevent discovery.” B’Elanna’s face, which had, for a moment, lit up with hope, fell quickly. “But,” Seven forced out before she could lose her nerve. “I was not acting.”</p><p>“You weren’t?” Her voice was uncharacteristically soft, as if she didn’t want to shatter whatever had strung this moment together. Seven shook her head. The engineer grinned, moving closer. The confirmation seemed to have boosted her confidence tenfold. “Then how about we pick up where we left off?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you for reading!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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